Theater906 debuts in Framingham with creative version of 'Godspell'

After 2 1/2 years of conceiving and developing Theater906, Marlborough resident Brian Boruta is about to see his new company open its doors with a production of "Godspell."

David Brooks Andrews

After 2 1/2 years of conceiving and developing Theater906, Marlborough resident Brian Boruta is about to see his new company open its doors with a production of "Godspell."

"Godspell," of course, is the popular musical that's based on the Gospel of Matthew, particularly a number of Jesus' parables, with music and some lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by John-Michael Tebelak. Its musical style includes pop, folk-rock and gospel, while many of the lyrics are from the Episcopal Hymnal.

But don't expect this production to feature Jesus' disciples as circus clowns dressed in colorful costumes as they were when the show first opened off-Broadway in 1971 and as they're often portrayed in the musical.

"I'm going much more drab," said Boruta, a 24-year-old Framingham State College alum who's directing the production as well as playing a minor role in it. He has conceived the disciples not as clowns but as homeless people on a set that consists of a back alley between two brick walls with trashcans and cardboard boxes.

If that's not daring enough, he has cast a woman, Bethany LaValley, in the role of Jesus. He hopes these adjustments will break through the conventional expectations that audiences often bring to "Godspell" so that they can get to the heart of what he feels it's really all about.

"I think the true aim of the show is to discuss the values of the community that's formed when people get together for a single united cause," said Boruta. He added that even when Jesus, the uniting force, is crucified at the end of the show, the disciples stay strong and united.

"Although the text is biblical, I think it still holds value for people who aren't religious," said Boruta. "The values of community and strength in unity are somewhat timeless and can be appreciated by people of any walk of life."

He's hardly the first director or designer to bring his own creative ideas to "Godspell." In fact, the musical is written to be flexible and open to artistic interpretation, and as a result it's adapted more often than most shows are.

The production will be staged at the Performing Arts Center of MetroWest above the Danforth Museum in downtown Framingham Thursday through Sunday. Boruta was delighted to find that PAC offered him reasonable rental rates for the space. The only downside is that the space is not big enough to bring in a band, so the cast will be singing to a full instrumental recording as the music was originally played.

Boruta founded Theater906 - which he named after his birthday, Sept. 6 - partly as a means to launch projects for the MFA Interdisciplinary Arts Program at Goddard College he was recently accepted into. It's a low-residency, two-year program. At the beginning of each semester he will spend eight days at the school in Port Townsend, Wash., and then will return to Massachusetts to fulfill the program's requirement to produce artistic work and present it to an audience. He will be doing that through Theater906.

Boruta chose "Godspell" as his theater's first production because he was familiar with it, performing in the role of John the Baptist/Judas in a Framingham State production in 2007 and a year later with Curtain Call Theatre in Braintree.

"I like to take a production and work on it from different angles," said Boruta, as he moves from acting into the role of director for this production.

To cast "Godspell," he called on friends he made while working in shows at Framingham State and in area community theaters, many of whom had been involved in previous productions of "Godspell." Because of the actors' schedules, he found himself taking on one of the minor roles himself, a disciple who sings perhaps the show's most famous song "Day by Day."

The actors have created back-stories for their characters to help make their performances feel distinct. He decided that his character is a starving artist who is looking for work and thus is homeless.

As for appearing in a show that he's directing, Boruta said, "I don't know that I would ever want to attempt that again. It's very difficult to envision a show and put yourself in that vision at the same time." He has several consultants, including E. Morgan Gavaletz, Marco Carneiro and Bethany LaValley, who operate as an artistic advisory board.

Boruta hopes to be able the announce the company's fall show at performances of "Godspell." He said it will not be a musical and that someone else will be directing it. (He will be directing "Seussical" for Colonial Chorus Players in Reading this fall.)

Once he's gotten Theater906 on its feet with "Godspell," he plans to bring in other directors and designers, have open auditions for the roles, and operate as a community theater.

Boruta first became interested in theatre while doing several shows in high school in Pawtucket, R.I. He had such a remarkable experience while working on a production of "Corpus Christi" as a freshman at Northeastern University that he decided he wanted to devote his life to working in theater.

Eager to study in a more intimate atmosphere, he transferred to Framingham State, which didn't offer a formal theater program but allowed him to focus on visual media in their communications program. And the college subsidized student productions with professors offering guidance and support. He directed three productions while he was a student there, including "Sweeney Todd," which is one of his favorite shows.

Boruta has worked for the Bertucci's restaurant chain since he was 15 years old and now works as a supervisor for them at their Wellesley restaurant, when he's not helping the company open new restaurants. The company offers him a flexible schedule that allows him to pursue theater, including a part-time job he has this summer as technical director for the Brookline Summer Theater program.

"In a lot of ways, working in the hospitality industry is very similar to work I do in theater - putting on a performance, entertaining people, keeping them happy and giving them what they came for," said Boruta.

When he's not creating theater or spinning pizza dough above his head, Boruta plays as much tennis as he can and travels across New England with his mother and stepfather to compete in competitive bowling tournaments. Most of his family will be coming to see "Godspell," including his grandmother who has already bought her ticket and comes to every one of his shows.

As for the best lesson he learned at Framingham State, he said, "It's that if an opportunity doesn't necessarily exist, there are always ways to make one happen for yourself." He's certainly done that with Theater906 and their upcoming production of "Godspell."

If you go

WHAT: "Godspell"

WHEN: July 30 to Aug. 2

WHERE: Performing Arts Center of MetroWest, 140 Pearl St., Framingham

COST: $16

INFO: 339-832-8328, www.theater906.org

MetroWest Daily News

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